The meal requirements served by schools are set and monitored by the USDA. These meals are referred to as type-A meals. They are healthy and nutritious meals which include the following components; protein, grains, vegetables, fruits and dairy.

The District's elementary schools are served a complete type-A meal which we prepare at the central kitchen located in the middle/high school building. These type-A meals are served to each student by district cafeteria employees.

Will my child be fed if I forget to put money on the account?
Payment for meals is expected at the point of service. If an elementary student has a negative balance, a child may charge a tray lunch (for two days only). This should give parents/guardian enough time to pay the negative balance. Without prior approval, no breakfast or extra milk will be permitted when a negative balance exists unless it has been cleared by the Principal. If a middle school or high school student does not have their I.D. card and/or money on their account, they may charge a tray meal (for two days only) in the TYPE-A meal lines. This should give the student enough time to let his/her parent/guardian know that they have a negative balance.

What is ala-carte/snack bar?
There is an ala-carte/snack bar located between the dining and commons area which provides the students with a wide variety of sandwiches, snacks, fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy choices. You must have your I.D. card and money in your account to purchase any ala-carte / snack bar items.

If you do not wish your child to purchase ala-carte snacks, please send a note to the cafeteria and we will put a block on your child's ala-carte sales.

Wellness Guidelines and Philosophy
Due to the wellness guidelines that have been required by the state, many of the sandwich and snack items are not available to the middle school, which includes soda. The state has approved a list of healthy options (snacks & drinks) which the students have accepted and now look forward to purchasing each day. When your child enters the high school, he/she should be ready to make responsible eating choices. We encourage the tray meals, but know our children are turning into young adults and at this time are given more opportunities for choice.

Why do we participate in the Federal Lunch Program? Why serve "Type A"
Thanks to federal, state and local partnerships, school food service programs offer a variety of well-balanced, nutritious meals at a cost much lower than a lunch of equal nutritional value brought from home of bought in a restaurant. Litchfield Schools also receive a variety of commodity foods such as lean ground beef, chicken, turkey roasts, deli turkey, grain and many other products from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Often, these commodity foods are of higher quality than what you buy in retail grocery stores. We also receive funds from the Department of Defense to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, we encourage the tray meals to increase the participation in the National School Lunch Programs. We receive Federal and State funds for each Type A student meal we serve. This reimbursement allows us to offer ALL tray meals at a lower cost to students than what it actually costs us to produce.